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' Patented Nov. l, |898.

H 3, ,i 1... n @/Mhi u c J n lf i o M. s. SHIPLEY, ned.

(Application filed Dec. 24, 1897.

(No Model.)

l NITHD STATES FATENT OFFICE.

ivIORRIS` S. SHIRLEY, on CINCINNATI, OHIO; OALRR W. SHIRLEY ADMINIS- TRATOR on SAID MORRIS s. SHIPLEY, DEOEASED.

MECHANISM FzOR OPLERATING VEHICLE-DOORS;1

s-PncrFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,650, dated November l1, 189e. Application iile. locember 24, 1897. Serial No. 663,361. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MORRIS S. SHIRLEY, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Operating Vehicle-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide positive and efficient means for opening and closing doors which are hinged to open lOut- Wardly, primarily such as the doors of hansom-cabs, the mechanism being adapted to be operated by the driver from his seat or by the occupant of the cab, so that one door will open in advance of the other and close after the other.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for regulating the tension of the cords or other power-transmitting device employed which passes over sheaves for operating the doors.

The various features of my invention are more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a hansom-cab with my improvements in position for use. Fig. 2 is a section on line x cc, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the driving-gears. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a sheave adapted to be clutched by the gear shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan View of one of the hinges of the cab-door.

A represents the side frame of the cab; B,

the rear seat-rail; C, the rear side of the cab,

and D the front platform.`

The upholstering of the cab is omitted for the purpose of showing the operative parts.

E F represent the cab-doors. H represents the top hinge thereof, on the axis of which is mounted the sheave a, the door-leaf ofthe hinge being fixed to the sheave.

G represents the4 main driving pinion mounted on shaft G', which is operated by handle-crank b. Said shaft journals in the adjustable plate I. Said plate is adjustably mounted upon the bed-plate J, which is secured to the cab. This platform is not shown. K represents another pinion mounted on studshaft K', which preferably taps into the adj ustable plate I. Gear G transmits ymotion to gear K, with which it is in mesh.

c represents a sheave rigidly clutched to gear G. d represents another sheave loosely clutched to gear K by means lof pins e engaging in the slotted holes g of the sheave d. The purpose of this loose clutch will be hereinafter explained.

L represents a cord,preferably made of Wire and looped twice around the sheave c, one limb of said cord passing over the pulley h, the other end of said cord passing over pulley o'. These cords pass over parallel grooves in the sheaves j 7c, and the ends of the cords are then attached to the sheave a on the axis of the hinge H. Other intermediate sheaves can be interposed between the door and actuating mechanism, if desirable, to facilitate the operation. This cord L controls the lopening and closing of the door E.

N represents a cord passing around the sheave d, one limb passing over the sheave m, the other limb passing over the sheave n, thence over the sheaves o p, and thence around the grooved pulley a, affixed to the axis of the hinge of the door F. This cord N controls the opening and closing of the door F.

It is desirable to open the door E slightly in advance of the movement of door F in order to prevent them from binding. It is likewise desirable that the door F shall be fully opened atthe same time that door E is opened. In order to accomplish these results, I provide the following instrumentalities: The turning of handle b rotates shaft G and pinion G and imparts motion to pinion K. As the pinion K, however, is loosely clutched to the sheave d, the sheave c will start to turn and drive cord L, moving the door E on the instant that the shaft G starts to rotate; but sheave CZ will not start to move until the pins e have moved in the slot g far enough to take up the lost motion, when the sheave d Will start to rotate and the door F to open. This secures the initial movement of the door E in advance of the door F. In order that the door F may, however, arrive at the full-open point at the same time as the door E, the sheave cl is made enough larger to complete the movement of the door opening through IOO the operation of cord N simultaneously with the door E. It is obvious that when the handle-crank Z2 is moved in the reverse direction to close the door the cord L will commence to move at the same instant, but the cord N will not move until the gear K has moved back sufficiently to take up the lost motion in the slots g, and the size of sheave CZ being larger will cause the door F to travel faster, and it will arrive at the closing-point in advance of the door E, thus allowing the lap on door E to rest over the face of door F. When, however, the cab-doors are set on an incline, so that the weight of the doors tends to close the saine, the difference in the size of the sheaves c cl may be omitted, as the weight of the door in closing will cause it to fall by gravity far enough to take up the lost motion, so the door F will close in advance of the door E.

It is desirable to have both cords maintained at the proper tension, and as the cords stretch or expand when of iber and contract or expand when made of metal I have provided the following means to secure their uniform tautness.

Plate I is stepped upon the bed-plate J. Q, represents ledges provided at opposite ends of said bed-plate J, as shown in section in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

s represents an ear through which taps an adjustable screw t, the point of which bears against one of the ledges Q. There are two of these adjustingscrews and ears corresponding to the ledges Q, so that the plate I may be adjusted, one end in advance of the other, so as to strain the cords on either sheave c or d, as occasion requires. The said plate I may be adjusted by the foot u, so as to firmly support it upon the plate J. When sheaves c d are properly adjusted, they are clamped into position by a set-bolt P, which is adjustable in a longitudinal slot r in plate J and engages with a screw-threaded orifice in plate I when it is screwed up and clamps plate I firmly to plate J.

If it is desired to tighten the cords, the clamp-bolt P is loosened and the nutst turned up, and they will force the plate I outward, the bolt P moving in the slot fr. Vhen the desired ten-sion is attained, the boltP is turned up to clamp plates I and J together. If it is desired to tighten one cord, bolt Pis loosened and the set-nut t on the side of the plate I, holding the loose cord, is tightened against the abutment Q. The end of the opposite nut t will slide on the abutment Q, allowing the bolt P to move forward in slot r and the appropriate end of the plate I to be advanced suiiciently to give the desired tension to the cord, when the bolt P is tightened to secure the adjustment.

In practice it will be desirable to extend the shaft G out through the platform of the drivers seat and bring the handle b in easy reach of the driver. As shown, it only requires a half-revolution of shaft Gr to open the doors and a similar reverse movement to close the same; but the amount of shaft movement may be varied by altering the sizes of the sheaves c d relatively to the sizes of the hingesheaves.

It is obvious that the intermediate sheaves between the main sheaves and the door-hinges may be made adjustable to regulate the tautness of the cord, but it is not as efficient as the means shown, as the intermediate sheaves are covered by the upholstering.

By making each doorcontrolled in its movements by a separate cord and sheave actuated by positive driving-pinions to which the sheaves are clutched I am enabled to obtain an easy, positive, and uniform movement of the doors, but preserving the advance movement of one door over the other, thereby securing the time movements positively. Each cord is separately adjustable and its tautness perfectly controlled, which is an important advantage obtained by the use of my device. With my construction the doors can be as readily opened by the occupant of the cab as by the driver from his box.

I-Iaving described my invention, I claiml. The combination with a pair of doors hinged to open outwardly, of a pair of intermeshing gears, a main sheave fixed to one of said gears, a main sheave loosely clutched to the opposite gear, a sheave on the hinge of each oi' said doors, and an endless cord running from each of said main sheaves around over the corresponding door-hinge sheave, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a pair of doors hinged to open outwardly, of a pair of inter` meshing gears, a main sheave fixed to one of said gears, a larger main sheave loosely clutched to the opposite gear, a sheave on the hinge of each of said doors, andan endless cord running from each of said main sheaves around over the corresponding door-hinge sheave, substantially as specified.

3. In a mechanism for operating a pair of doors, the combination of a pair of intermesh;

ing gears, a main sheave attached to one of i said gears, a main sheave loosely clutched to the opposite gear, both of said gears being journaled to an adj usting-plate stepped upon a bed-plate, and adj listing-screws applied to said plates, substantially as specified.

4:. The combination with a pair of doors hinged to open outwardly, of a pair of intermeshing gears, a main sheave fixed to one of said gears, a main sheave loosely clutched to the opposite gear, a sheave on the hinge of each of said doors, a series of intermediate.

IOO

each of said doors, a series of intermediate sheaves between the main sheaves and the sheaves' on said door-hinges7 an endless oord running from said main sheaves around the 5 intermediate sheaves and over the hingesheaves, and means foradjusting said sheaves to regulate the tautness of the cord, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of a pair of doors hinged 1o to open outwardly, of a pair of intermeshing v gears, cords running over sheaves attached to and operated by said gears, and passing over sheaves in the door-hinges, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set I 5 my hand. Y y

MORRIS S. SHIPLEY.

lVitnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER, W. R. WOODi 

